By: Isabel Ebin Fashion is an inescapable art form. Though the term conjures up images of extravagant outfits and stick-thin models, it is actually much more-- everyone puts on clothes in the morning. Fashion is for everyone, including the students of Governor’s School East. The dominant trends of Governor’s School include athletic wear, the classic t-shirt-and-shorts combo, 70s-inspired, light summer dresses, and a small but visible goth/alternative (so-called “alt” fashion) presence. Athletic Wear As both the most dominant and the most “anti-fashion” of the trends on this list, athletic wear occupies an interesting niche. Athletic clothes were once reserved exclusively for sports, but have carved out a larger and larger space in the world outside the gym. Some students take inspiration from clothes for running or for playing a sport, whereas others draw from comfy sweats. Performance fabrics are comfortable in the North Carolina heat and the addition of a thin athletic jacket is practical for cool classrooms. The running-inspired outfits are often brightly colored in loud (but vaguely coordinated) shades, as opposed to the more subdued palette of the sweats-inspired looks. Sneakers are the shoe of choice for most students, but the styles vary from actual workout shoes to “fashion sneakers,” designed to emulate the look of workout shoes with a trendy twist. Popular brands include Adidas, Nike, and Fila. Birkenstocks are also a popular choice for their comfort and ease of wearability. Get the Look: Start with a pair of brightly colored running shorts that are neither excessively tight nor excessively short. Add a t-shirt, either made from performance fabric or a standard cotton t-shirt blend. It may include the logo of a popular athletic brand. Choose running shoes in colors that coordinate with both the shorts and the t-shirt. Tie back long hair in a casual braid or ponytail. For a casual, sweats-inspired look, start with either black leggings or bike shorts. Add an oversized sweatshirt (possibly a Governor’s School sweatshirt) in navy or grey. Finish the look with Birkenstocks, and perhaps a necklace that falls approximately to the collarbone. Shorts + A T-Shirt This look has significant overlap with the aforementioned athletic looks. Shorts and a t-shirt is the teenager’s summer uniform, and can take many forms, leading it to overlap with more than one trend on this list. The perennially popular jean shorts remain on trend for teen girls, and provide a common base for a variety of different fashion styles. Looser shorts with stretch are also popular, likely because they are softer and better for heat than denim shorts. For this trend, the big question is of the size of the shirt: big and long enough to hide the shorts completely, or small and fitted, often with some sort of design flourish like a one-shoulder cut. The shorts’ waistline remains high, especially for those wearing smaller shirts. The high-waisted look can be created either with a cropped shirt or by tucking in a longer shirt. For trend-inclined teens, sleeveless tops and crop tops provide a trendier twist on the traditional t-shirt. This is also the basis for what most of the boys wear, though they typically favor longer, looser shorts and more subdued colors. Get the Look: Grab a pair of high-waisted jean shorts in a medium wash and pair them with a loose, lived-in oversized t-shirt. Add Birkenstocks or sneakers and possibly small earrings. Keep your hair simple—either loose or in a ponytail. Painted nails and friendship bracelets encouraged, but not required. 70s Influence For teens who favor a throwback look, the 70s is the decade of choice. Some go all the way, up to and including such defining styles as flare jeans. Others prefer an updated 70s look, typically featuring a patterned midi skirt in a thin fabric and/or a spaghetti strap crop top. Even the popularity of high-rise jeans can be traced back to the 1970s. Layering necklaces and bracelets for an eclectic folk look is also popular, and earth tones harken back to the “natural” look that was popular in the 70s. The 70s tie dye trend is also making an appearance at GSE, largely thanks to regular tie-dye parties on the quad. Even for students who don’t do a full vintage look, curtain bangs are a popular hairstyle with a distinctly 70s feel to them, and an easy way to add a seventies touch to every outfit. Get the Look: Start with a patterned midi skirt, preferably made from a thin material. Add a small top and layer on earth-tone jewelry. Finish the look with platform sandals. Bonus points for a haircut featuring curtain bangs. Light Summer Dresses To beat the heat, GSE students have perfected the art of the easy summer dress. Made in a thin cotton or linen type material, loose across the body, and easy to throw on with a pair of sandals or sneakers, these dresses provide a feminine and comfortable alternative to shorts and a t-shirt. White, yellow, and floral prints are all popular and summer-appropriate choices. Tops that take after these dresses are also popular. Light floral tops with feminine details, like puff sleeves and ruching, capture a summery spirit for students more inclined to shorts than to dresses. Get the Look: Find a dress that’s easy, flattering, and made from a light fabric. Add sandals, sneakers, or converse. “Alt” Fashion Though modern fashion trends have significant overlap, and the tightly defined style tribes of past decades are less prominent, there is a noteworthy minority of GSE students who blend elements of goth, punk, and certain Japanese fashions to create an “alternative” look. The defining dress code for these outfits is the color black. There is also often an element of femininity to these outfits, as many are built around the dress and combat boot combo. The more casual alt outfit is a black t-shirt with black denim shorts. Another popular trend with alt girls is colorful hair, often cut to slightly past shoulder length. Get the Look: Start with a black pleated or a-line miniskirt. Add a dark-colored top, tucked into the waistband of the skirt. Finish the look with a pair of combat boots. Dyed hair is encouraged but not required. Bonus points for pointy black eyeliner. Shoes, Hair, and Accessories Accessories have a significant impact on the look of the outfit, as shown by the girls who pair girly dresses with combat boots, and exemplified by a student I saw wearing jeans and a GSE t-shirt with an aqua blue scarf, aqua blue purse, and aqua blue crocs. Long hair is as popular as always, and the most common hairstyles at GSE are simple and easy: think ponytails and braids, often with a few sections left loose in the front (see: curtain bangs). Half-up hairstyles and messy buns are also popular. Shoes are practical across the board, as shown by the dominance of sneakers and Birkenstocks. Converse are popular, as are crocs. Continuing the theme of comfort, it’s not uncommon to see students laying on beach towels take their shoes off. Sandals (other than Birkenstocks) aren’t as common as expected, considering their reputation as the ultimate summer shoe, but when students do wear them, they typically pick sturdy pairs with thick straps and a small platform. Thin necklaces that sit just at the base of the neck are popular, as are cross necklaces. Many girls opt for layered necklaces, but some stick with more delicate pieces. Layered bracelets are also popular, adding an eclectic touch to simple outfits. Accessories often speak to experiences here at GSE. Handwoven friendship bracelets decorate wrists and water bottles, and students carry bags from an elective dedicated to remaking t-shirts into bags. Some even have temporary tattoos from an impromptu tattoo session at a game of Dungeons and Dragons. A Note on Denim There is no one prevailing trend of denim at GSE, and a surprising number of students choose to brave the heat in jeans of all varieties. The once-ubiquitous dark-wash skinny high-rise jegging is being outpaced by straight and wide-leg jeans in lighter washes, often with holes in the knees. Lower rises, though less common, are favored by some. Jeans are typically styled in the same way as jean shorts. Once again, the question is of the size of the shirt: small or large? Often, looser jeans are paired with smaller tops, but this is far from a hard and fast rule. Made To Be Mixed Trends don’t exist in a vacuum. Especially now, in the age of the internet, people blend elements from all sorts of different looks to create one that is completely their own. Avi’s layered jewelry speaks to the eclectic look, while her combination of oversized shirt and oversized jeans is drawn from both TikTok fashion and a desire for comfort. AK’s outfit pulls both from the seventies and the early 2000s, and she blends in the white sneaker trend for a unique, distinctive style personality. Evie’s light summer dress is pulled through the lens of alt fashion with the addition of a thick black belt, combat boots, and an array of temporary tattoos.
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